Fireplace-fender



(No Model.)

Patented Dec. I3, |898. L. P. LEGG.

FIREPLACE FENDER.

(Application led Apr. 2B, 1898.)

I@ el le el W/ TNE SSE S s /N VENTO/6 A TTOHNEYS.

Tm: norms PETERS 00,. maremma., wAsNmamN. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LORENZO P. LEGG, OF JEFFERSON, GEORGIA.

FIREPLACE-FENDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 615,861, dated Deeemberl, 1898.

Application iled April 28, 1898. Serial No. 679 ,071l (No model.)

T0 all whom t may con/cern,.-

Be it known that I, LORENZO P. LEGG, of Jeerson, in the county of Jackson and State of Georgia, have invented new and usefull which will be adapted for transfer from one fireplace to another one, be capable of receiving adjustment to permit free access to the fire for its replenishment with fuel or for sweeping ashes from the hearth, and that will be a reliable protection against escape of ilying sparks, and also prevent accidents, such as the ignition of womens clothing or the falling of children into the rire burning in an open fireplace.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combinationof parts, as is hereinafter described, and defined in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is ,a front view of the improved fender in position at a fireplace. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the fireplace on 'the line 2 2 in Fig. l and a plan view of the fender applied thereto. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view ofthe improved fender, taken essentially on the line 3 3 in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional side elevation of the upper portion of the fender device, a part being removed therefrom and another feature adjusted for service. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of details substantially on the line 5 5 in Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is a side view of the parts that appear in Fig. 4, but differently adjusted.

, In the drawings, A indicates an open fireplace, and B the hearth thereof, shown to illustratel theY application of the improvement. The improved fire-fender consists'in part of two metal frames that are essentially rectangular and form the sides of the fender. Each side frame is composed of a borderpiece bent from a metal bar, so as to project a top rail 10 and a parallel bottom rail 11 from an integral back post 12, said rails extending in the same vertical plane and at right angles to the back post 12. Asuitable number of spaced lattice-bars 13 are secured by their ends to the top rail 10 and lower rail 1l of each side frame, and both of the side frames are preferably covered with screen-wire cloth 14 of suitable mesh to arrest liying sparks.

The side frames of the fender are connected togetherby a cross-bar 15, secured by its ends thereto and therefore defining the width of the fire-fender, said cross-bar being placed near the front ends of the lower rails 11. The posts 12 of the side frames are each longitudinally slotted at two points, said slots a a be= ing respectively formed near the top rail and the lower rail of a side frame, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

On each of the pilasters A of the iireplacejambs two lbracket-hooks h h are secured at such a distance apart in the same vertical plane as will permit the upturned hook members to be passed through the slots a u. and lock fast to the post 12 of a side frame, when the latter is permitted to drop until the hooks are at the tops of the slots through which they.

pass, and thus hold the connected side frames projected forwardly from the two pilasters of the fireplace A and over the hearth B.

The nre-fender has a front frame which comprises twp side bars c, two front bars d, joined by their ends to the side bars, and a plurality of spaced latticebars c, which are secured by their ends to the'cross-bars d, as indicated in Fig. 1.

The front ends of the ltop rails 10 of the side frames ,of the fender are4 slotted to receive the upper ends of the side bars c, which are pivoted thereto at g, and as itis essential that the front frame be permitted to receive a limited sliding movement on said pivots g a slot h is formed longitudinally in each side bar c, near the upper end thereof, so as to per mit each pivot to respectively engage loosely within the slot of a side bar c. At the forward ends of each of the lower rails 11 a forwardly extending hook 't' is formed, which hooks will serve as detents to prevent an outward 'swings ing movement of the front frame of the fender when the latter is permitted by gravity to rock downwardly and have a latched engage= ment of its lower edge with said hooks t', the

slots r7L permitting'the front frame to rise sufticiently to pass over the hooks.

Preferably the front frame is covered with netting similar to that secured on the side frames of the fender and for a like purpose. On each top rail 10 of the side frames of the fender a keeper-sleeve 16 is mounted to slide, and said sleeve may be formed of sheet metal bent so as to loosely embrace the top and sides of said rail, the lower side edges of the sleeve being bent inwardly, so as to hold the same in place, but permit it to be slidably adj usted lengthwise on the top rail. It will be seen that the two sleeves 16 may be manipulated to slide forwardly over the top edge of the front frame when the latter is locked fast to the hooks and thus preventan elevation 4of the front frame until said sleeves are slid backward, so as to release the front frame.

Then it is desired to have free access to the hearth B for cleansing purposes, the front frame of the fender may be released and rocked upwardly and rearwardly, so as to rest its lower edge against the front of the iireplace, as is partly indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3, the return of said front frame to a normal depending position being effected in an obvious manner.

In Figs. et and 6 the front frame is repre# sented, respectively, as in lowered and locked condition and as partially slid upward to release the frame from the hooks 'i'. As the fender is not covered at the top, which is found in practice to be unnecessary, free access to the fire is afforded for its replenishment with fuel or other attention to the fuel, as occasion .may require.

It is claimed for the improvement that it is of novel, simple, and inexpensive construction, that it is capable of preventing loss or 'injury to persons or property by arresting flying sparks or by preventing clothing or children from comin ginto contact with the iire burning in the open fireplace, and, furthermore, that while the device is reliably held from accidental displacement it is adapted for ready transfer from one fireplace to another one having the bracket-hooks b b thereon.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A iireplace-fenderhaving two side frames adapted to be secured to a building, and a front frame joined to the side frames, each side frame comprising a borderpiece bent to form a top and a bottom rail and joined by a vertically-extending back post, and each side frame also comprising lattice-bars extended vertically between the top and bottom rails, and the front frame comprising two vertical side bars respectively movably carrried by the front extremities of the top and bottom rails of the side frames, and the front frame also comprising horizontal front bars extending between the side bars of the front frame and carrying vertically extending latticebars.

2. A fireplace fender, having two side frames each embodying a top rail and a bottom rail, each bottom rail having a forwardlyextending hook and each top railhavinga pivot, a front frame for the fender, the front frame having two side bars rigidly joined by horizontally-extending front bars, each side bar having a slot in which the pivotsof the side frames are respectively received, and the lower end of each side bar being adapted to be removably engaged with the hooks of the bottom rails of the side frames, and a keeper-sleeve sliding on each top rail of the side frames.

LORENZO r. LEGG.

`Witnesses:

JNO. N. HOLDER, JNo. C. TURNER. 

